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Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, joined the effort to put Jensen Huang back in charge of Nvidia on Friday. “A petition is underway to reinstate Jensen and I’m signing it too,” he posted on X. People identifying themselves as Nvidia employees and shareholders were adding their names alongside his.
By 2:03 p.m. Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, the counter read 117,112.
The independent “Stand with Jensen” campaign is asking Nvidia’s board to restore its cofounder as chief executive while an outside investigation establishes the facts surrounding his departure. Huang resigned on Nov. 12 after 33 years leading the company, following his admission of an affair with a businesswoman whom U.S. officials suspect of spying for China and amid allegations of relationships with Kimberly Powell, an Nvidia vice president in the health care group who reported to him, and a second, unnamed employee. Nvidia’s board has not publicly responded to the letter.
The petition had about 108,000 signatures Saturday morning and more than 115,000 by the afternoon. The site’s live counter classified its signers as 6,019 current Nvidia employees, 1,120 former employees, 63,727 shareholders and 46,246 other supporters.
The site says affiliations are self-reported and not verified. Fake entries included “Tim Cruise, Hollywood actor” and “Xi Jingping.” Organizers said Saturday they were “actively working” to remove fake signatures. On Saturday, the site’s searchable public list showed 77,669 names against the larger headline counter. Signers can choose whether their names appear publicly; the visible list does not establish the identity or affiliation of everyone counted.
The open letter asks for reinstatement pending an independent inquiry, or a specific explanation of why Huang’s continued absence serves Nvidia’s interests. It also demands disclosure of the investigation’s scope, independence and expected timeline, with an opportunity for Huang to respond. Its final demand is a timely public explanation of the evidence and how employees’ and shareholders’ interests were weighed.
Nvidia’s announcement confirmed his resignation without stating a reason. The campaign describes itself as a volunteer effort and says it is endorsed by neither Nvidia nor Huang.
“Jensen deserves due process, not mob justice,” the letter says. It says suspicion or association is insufficient to end Huang’s leadership and asks that confidentiality not prevent the board from explaining its decision.
What Changed
- The Stand with Jensen counter read 117,112 names on Saturday afternoon, but the site says affiliations are self-reported and not verified, and fake entries appeared.
- Elon Musk signed, and Altimeter's Brad Gerstner and Atreides' Gavin Baker asked the board for a deliberate search that leaves open Jensen Huang's return.
- Nvidia's board has not publicly answered the letter; it is still choosing a search firm, and an approach to Arm CEO Rene Haas has been reported.
- A proposed class action filed Nov. 9 accuses Nvidia and Jensen Huang of misleading investors, and Nvidia holds only Side A D&O insurance.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Employees and investors
Erwin Coumans, listed as a senior distinguished engineer at Nvidia, signed on Nov. 13. His comment described Huang’s leadership as a main reason he joined the company, while accepting that violations of its code of conduct would need to be addressed.
“His private affairs are none of my business, and if his actions violated our code of conduct, it has to be dealt with,” Coumans wrote.
Other names on the public list included Replit CEO Amjad Masad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan. Former Nvidia engineering executives appeared alongside current staff.
Inside Nvidia, a longtime engineer had submitted a suggestion-box post before Huang’s resignation, asking the board to consider employee sentiment before acting. By Thursday it had drawn more than 1,600 comments. An employee said Saturday that the count had since more than doubled. One anonymous commenter wrote: “If you believe in the mission, bring back THE boss.”
An employee who signed the public letter described Huang as a leader who gave staff a “surge of motivation,” surprising them with new ideas and products. The employee wanted the board to preserve a route back even if its inquiry led to consequences for Huang’s conduct.
Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital, and Gavin Baker, managing partner of Atreides Management, made a separate appeal in a letter posted Friday. Altimeter disclosed 9.4 million Nvidia shares worth nearly $1.9 billion as of June 30, its largest disclosed equity holding. Atreides held 1.2 million shares worth nearly $250 million at the end of June. Baker’s name also appears on the petition.
Their letter called for a deliberate search that leaves open Huang’s potential return. It said interim CEO Colette Kress would lead Nvidia capably and stopped short of demanding immediate reinstatement.
Aileen Lee, an investor at Cowboy Ventures, questioned the financial interests behind the calls for a comeback. “Jensen has made people a ton of money, and they want him to keep doing it,” she said. “It makes me wonder if it’s because people have come to worship rich people and they have personally profited from him.”
Tara Sharp, a former Google executive and AI startup founder, described female executives’ anger over powerful men pursuing relationships with employees. She worried that dependence on Nvidia’s chips would mute public criticism. She also expressed concern about Kress inheriting a company organized around Huang. “Oh my God, she’s not set up for success at all,” Sharp said, calling it a “glass cliff” assignment, in which a male CEO puts the company in crisis and a woman is handed the cleanup job.
The board and succession
Kress, Nvidia’s finance chief since September 2013, is now interim CEO. Harvey Jones has become board chair. On Nov. 10, independent directors retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for an outside investigation led by Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The board’s succession announcement said it would consider internal and external candidates. On Friday, it said it was still choosing a search firm and had not formally engaged candidates.
An approach to Arm CEO Rene Haas has been reported, although there is no guarantee of an offer or acceptance. Arm’s response was: “It’s a no comment from us.”
Haas spent about seven years at Nvidia before joining Arm in 2013, rising to vice president and general manager of its computing products business.
In a 2024 interview, Haas described Huang’s resistance to succession planning. “He didn’t like the idea,” Haas said. “He felt it would create competition among executives and be divisive.”
President Donald Trump has offered his own candidate, Apple executive chair Tim Cook. “A Legend replaces a Legend!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Trump and Washington
Trump said that the FBI was “looking into” the affair, while predicting Huang would “be in good shape.” Huang had gained direct access to the president through Oval Office meetings and phone calls and had pressed for sales of advanced American AI chips to China.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s department prepared a memo about Jensen Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, drawing on an earlier CIA report. Leaks about the affair increased pressure on Jensen Huang to resign.
Alice Huang was an executive at Singapore-based Nvidia customer Megaspeed. U.S. officials suspect her of working for Chinese intelligence. Beijing denies the allegation, and Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday that the Justice Department had not concluded whether she was a spy. Megaspeed is being investigated for possibly diverting restricted Nvidia chips to China.
Trump is due in Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Nov. 18 and 19, accompanied by Musk. Senior U.S. officials said Friday that Trump did not plan to raise the Nvidia affair with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Congress is seeking answers about chip exports. Huang has been asked to testify. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Dec. 10 over the department’s role in preventing China from obtaining advanced AI chips. House Intelligence Committee Democrats sent a letter Friday also seeking his testimony about Megaspeed.
Legal exposure
Retail investor Mark Kistenmacher filed a proposed class action in California on Nov. 9, accusing Nvidia and Jensen Huang of misleading investors about his relationship with Alice Huang and the associated national security risks. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial for investors who bought Nvidia shares from Oct. 9, 2025, through Nov. 8, 2026.
The complaint alleges Nvidia issued misleading statements about Megaspeed while failing to disclose the affair. Nvidia shares fell 4.3% on Nov. 9, erasing about $190 billion in market value. The complaint alleges investors paid inflated prices because the risks were concealed.
Nvidia holds only Side A directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. That covers executives’ personal assets and legal defense costs. Side B reimburses a company for executives’ defense expenses it pays, while Side C protects the company itself when it is sued alongside its officers. Nvidia lacks those latter forms of coverage.
“For a public company, it’s normal to have Side A and Side B coverage. It’s almost regarded as compulsory. And in the US, most large public companies would have Side C as well, because the exposure is so serious. Everyone gets sued all the time,” said Aaron Le Marquer of Stewarts law firm.
A Reuters exclusive described October correspondence in which Jensen Huang misled general counsel Tim Teter and chief marketing officer Alison Wagonfeld, presenting his interactions with Alice Huang as routine customer dealings.
Jensen Huang discussed suing The New York Times after its October 2025 article about his meetings with Alice Huang. Neither he nor Nvidia filed suit, and the paper received no legal demand.
Whether the board will answer the petition is unclear. One Nvidia employee who signed supported an investigation and possible consequences while wanting a path back for Huang. “Nvidia is not doomed without him, but it would not be the same,” the employee said.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Stand with Jensen petition ask for?
It asks Nvidia's board to reinstate Jensen Huang as CEO while an independent investigation establishes the facts, or to give a specific, evidence-based explanation of why his absence serves Nvidia. It also demands disclosure of the inquiry's scope and timeline, a chance for Huang to respond, and a timely public explanation.
How many people have signed, and can the numbers be trusted?
The site's live counter showed 117,112 names at 2:03 p.m. Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, including 6,019 self-described current Nvidia employees. The site says affiliations are self-reported and not verified, and fake entries such as "Tim Cruise, Hollywood actor" appeared.
Who is running Nvidia now?
Colette Kress, Nvidia's finance chief since September 2013, is interim CEO. Harvey Jones chairs the board, which says it will consider internal and external candidates and is still choosing a search firm.
What legal exposure does Nvidia face?
A proposed class action filed Nov. 9 in California accuses Nvidia and Jensen Huang of misleading investors about his relationship with Alice Huang. Nvidia holds only Side A directors' and officers' insurance, which leaves the company itself without coverage when it is sued alongside its officers.
Will Trump raise the matter in China?
Senior U.S. officials said Trump did not plan to raise the Nvidia affair with Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18 and 19. Trump has said the FBI is looking into the affair.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
